Citation: Ryan, T. (2013). Totally unrelated. Orca Book Publishers.
Totally Unrelated is a Hi/Lo book about a teenaged musician named Neil who has been performing in his family’s Celtic band for years, but wants to find his own style, too. His friend Bert proposes that they perform in an upcoming talent show, and their new friend Sandy rounds out the ensemble. All that’s left is to polish their act and make sure nothing gets between them and their chance at the spotlight.
This coming-of-age story has its share of relatable challenges, including dealing with insecurity and familial drama, but carries significantly less tension about these issues being resolved than other similar books such as L’ogre et l’enfant (Laurent, 2019) and The Summer Between Us (Fenton, 2022). One limitation to this story for some readers is that everything falls into place a little too easily and perfectly to be optimally engaging.
Check out our other review of Totally Unrelated here!